Almay Wake-Up Hydrating Makeup

This past week I noticed the new Almay commercial with Kate Hudson for their wake-up hydrating foundation makeup.  I admit it, they had me as soon as they mentioned the instant cooling of hydrating water and cucumber.

Lately I feel like I look permanently tired.  It has been a few years since I left the house on a daily basis with anything more than my mascara and lip gloss on.  The thought of putting on a foundation that in a sense could wake you up, had me curious.

Almay products are already great because they are hypoallergenic.  Sometimes I come across a product that makes my skin break out a bit, but I know with Almay that is not going to happen.  I went down to Ulta and picked one up in ‘naked’.  (Choices are ivory, buff, naked and beige.)  It came in a small compact container complete with a brush you pull out of the top of the lid, which makes it super easy to throw in your purse and go.

Upon applying the makeup, I did notice a slight cooling sensation that actually felt nice.  While the color is a pretty good match to my skin and my husband didn’t notice any difference, I did feel like my skin was… well… a bit healthier looking.  I really feel like I could wear this every day with my mascara and lip gloss and look a little more put together – not to mention awake – without the need for a heavier foundation and added blush.  I felt like I gave me a natural looking glow.  It is also SPF 13 so you have some protection when you are outdoors.

My only real complaint about this product is that while you are supposed to be able to pop the brush out and put it into a locking position, mine tends to fall back into it’s compartment when I use it.  Still usable though.  I just hold the brush where it’s supposed to lock when applying the makeup.  It would just be nice if it held in place on it’s own.  Not a deal breaker though, I like the product enough to purchase it again.

I purchased mine in store at Ulta for $12.99.  Since I’m all about the bargains I took my Ulta coupon for $3.50 off a purchase of $10 or more that I received in the mail for being a Rewards member.  Not an Ulta rewards member?  You can print the coupon directly from their website.  No store near you?  No problem!  You can find it on Amazon.com for as little as $10.99.

Friday Flop: Fusion Beauty’s LipFusion Infatuation Lip Fattener… or I spent $31.03 on WHAT?

Hi, I’m Liza.  I blog at Cira’s Lyrics and can also be found on twitter.  When Britt put out the call for people to review and write at Buy-Her I was very excited to be a part of it as I’ve been an admirer of her blogs for a few years.

Today I thought we’d talk about Fusion Beauty’s LipFusion Infatuation Lip Fattener.

I have been on a quest since I was about 14 or 15 years old to get perfectly plumped lips (without a collagen injection because, well, a needle to my lips frankly scares the crap out of me).   Lets go back to where it started.  It was the early 1990′s.   I spent the summer babysitting kids who spent the summer playing outdoors at a friends house.  What’s on during the day?  Soaps I discovered.  Days of Our Lives.  Lisa Rinna played Billie Reed and I wanted lips.like.that.

….yeah.

Little did I know then you probably couldn’t get her lips, uh, naturally shall we say.  And truth be told maybe I don’t want them that big, but I would love them to be fuller and plumper.  Over the years I have spent time and money looking for the perfect plumper.  I have tried more than I can count, and even siphoned some from my sister when she wasn’t looking.  (Sorry Ali!)  Each one worked a little, just not enough for what I wanted.

I had read about Fusion Beauty’s LipFusion Infatuation Lip Plumper “the most revolutionary breakthrough in lip plumping technology” according to their website and thought my quest was finally over.   Heck, even Kim Kardashian is endorsing it so it Must be true, Right?    I went to Ulta and pondered over the colors.  Ultimately I like my lip plumper clear so I can put whatever I want on top or just leave it alone.  Since it doesn’t appear they make one clear I settled on one of the palest colors I could find and purchased ‘Angelic’ for $29 ($31.03 after tax).  This was more money than I would usually spend on a lip plumper but I was taking a chance.

The product is also advertised to be the “first liquid lip color with extraordinary Amplifat technology to increase and maintain body fat just where you need it most”.  This really is for me!  Lord knows I am still carrying what I can no longer call a post baby bump 3 years later from having 3 kids in the span of 18 months.  Body fat, I had that.  Results were supposed to occur within 10 minutes.

Let me say I desperately wanted this product to work.  Clean dry lips, check.  Started to apply.  The first thing that turned me off is the applicator looks like a tiny little paintbrush and the color spreads unevenly.  I felt like I was painting it on.  A minute or two later I barely felt a slight tingle on my lips.  Not bad I thought.  I’m not opposed to the tingle most lip plumpers give you but some people don’t like it.  Then I waited.

And waited…and waited.  Nothing.  No plump.at.all.  I spent a few days using this product and each time, still nothing.  Is it kissable at least?  Not according to my husband, he didn’t like the taste.  I was very disappointed with LipFusion Infatuation Lip Fattener.  Really it just seemed like a sticky not so easily applied gloss and nothing more.  This is not only the most money I’ve ever spent on a plumper but the first one that gave me no results at all.  Are you obsessed with plumper lips like I am?  Which products have worked great for you?

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips – my most expensive lip gloss

I can’t believe I paid $18 this weekend to replace a tube of lip gloss that I lost.

But really – it’s that good.

So good, in fact, that I willingly endured another trip to my local ULTA so that I could plop down $18.  For lip gloss.

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips is currently tied with Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer for my all time favorite lip gloss.  And while Burt’s Bees is awesome and only about $4.99 at a drugstore – I still couldn’t resist the urge to get my hands on another tube of Buxom Lips.

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Friday Flop: ULTA “Customer Service”

I came dangerously close to staging a riot at the local ULTA last week.

The only thing stopping me was the fact that I live 45 minutes away from a Sephora, and I couldn’t risk getting myself banned from the next best thing.  My principles, apparently, only run as deep as my need for overpriced cosmetics.

But boy I was pissed.

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Friday Flops: ULTA eyeshadow brushes

It’s fun to show you all the things I want to buy or things I’ve bought that I love.  But anyone who goes shopping as much as I do knows that some things you buy suck.

I cannot even tell you the hatred that I have for my new eyeshadow brushes from Ulta.

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